Nail or tack driver.



Na. 653,772. Patenfed July w, '1900.

G. w. Hos. 4:

NAIL OB TACK DBIVER.

(Application fil'ed Oct. 14, 1898.)

'(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIon.

GEORGE W. HOBBS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT J. PARTRIDGE, OF SAME PLACE.

NAIL oR TAoK DRIVER.

SPECIFIWCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,772. dated July 17, 1900. Appnmion nea oaber 14,1998. serial No. 693,528. da moda.)

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, GEORGE W. HoBBs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new andv useful Improvements in United Nail or Tack Drivers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to improvements upon a certain united nail or tack driver described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 613,509, grant-ed to 'me November 1,1898. The particular object of my invention is to provide means whereby the nail or tack which is severed from the'strip will be only partially driven at the first operation of the punch, so that the nail thus only partially driven may be engaged by the end of a raceway or switch which I provide in the head of the nailer, the nail thus acting as a stop or gage to regulate the distance apart at which the nails will be driven, but being in position to be engaged by the punch at its next operation and to be then fully driven home.

A further object of my invention is to provide an automatic gage whereloy when desired to gage the distance of the nails from the edge of the article to be nailed, but so arranged as to present no obstruction to the use of the tacker upon a broad flat surface.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved punch for severing the nails or tacks from the strip and driving them.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved arrangement for Operating the punch, so that the stroke which is delivered upon the' punch tosever and drive the nail or tack will operate to hold the tacker firmly down upon the article to be nailed or tacked before the hammer or driving device comes into contact with the head of the punch or punch-stock.

My invention comprises the various features of construction and combinations of part hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure l is a fragmental Perspective view of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of` the device along the nailstrip on line indicated by 2 2, Figs. 3 and 5, showing one nail set-i. e., partially driven into a shoe-sole-and the parts ready for a second blow of the hammer to sever and set a second nail and to fully drive home the nail which is shown partially'driven. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the tool at right angles to that shown in Fig. 2, being across the line of the nail-strip on line indicated by line 3 3, 6o Fig's. 2 and 5. The section through the shoesole in each instance is along the line of nails and not on the lines 272 or 3 3, which indicate the lines on which the tool is sectioned. In

' Fig. 3 the parts are in position with one nail fully driven and a second nail set. v In this view the tacker is shown applied to a shoesole to set the nails with the longer axes of their heads crosswise the line of driven nailsthat is'tol say, crosswise a line parallel With 7o the edge of the solewhile in Fig. 2 the tacker is applied to set the nails with the longer axes of their heads lengthwise the line of driven nailsthat is, parallel with the edge of the sole. It is to be lunderstood that in each of the views Figs. 2 and 3 the sight is directed toward the edge of the sole, and in practical operation the movernent of the tacker will be toward the left of said views. Fg. 4 is a perspective view of the punch and 8o punch-stock removed fromv the punch-box. Fig. 5 is afragrnental'view looking at the bottom of the outer end ofv the tack'er. In this view the end which is uppermost corresponds 1 to the right-hand end of Fig. 2, and the strip of nails N are shown in place ahd hide the shoulderd" Fig. (5 is a fragmental seetional view on line indicated by 6 6, Fig. 5, showing my'drop-gage. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cut-off and its actuating-lever re- 9o moved-from the machine. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the punch removed from the punch-stock.

In the drawings, A represents the nail- Chamber, which is the same as that shown and 'described in my former application for patent.

B is the punch-box, which is secur'ed' upon the head or outer end Q of the device by means of screws b. :oo

C is the punch-stock, which is provided With a slot c, within which'is seated the punch D.

The punch is sccured in its seat by means of a set-screw D'. The punch comprises two members cl cZ', arranged at right angles with each other and provided with a slot d", within which the stop co, which is provided across the raceway, is chambered as the punch is forced down to sever and drive the nail. One of these members cl' is provided with a shoulder or cutting edge d'", arranged sufticiently above the bottom of the punch to allow the bottom of the punch to engage with the face of the article to be nailed when the nail which has just been severed is only partially driven, as indicated in Fig. 3. It will be observed that in my device the punch may be as wide and thick as is necessary to secure strength, since each' nail is started into the article to be nailed before it is completely severed from the nail-strip.

E is the cut-off, which is provided with a cut-off tongue e, which is adapted to enter between the nail to be severed and the adj oinin g nail, and is also provided with a tongue e', which enters between the second and third nails to prevent the nail-strip from drawing back after the first nail is severed and before the' shuttle has time to be forced back and to engage with the strip to feed it forward. This cut-off is operated by means of a lever e", which is pivoted to the body of the cutofi and is also pivoted to the tacker by a pivot e'". The upper end of this lever is provide'd with an antifriction-roller e"", which travels in a cam-raceway c', which is provided in the punch-stock. In Fig. 7 the cutoif E is alike at both ends, so that in case the tongue e or the tongue e' at one end of the cut-oif is broken the cut-od can be turned on its pivot 2 to bring the other end into position for use.

F is a cam-wedge which operates the shuttle in the same manner as shown in my former application for patent, and therefore detailed description of the shutt-le and the means for Operating it are not given herein.

The head Q of the nailing device is provided with two nail switches or raceways G G', which are arranged atsubstantially right angles with each other and also serve to allow the punch to reciprocate as the nails are driven. The raceway G is simply an onward extension of the main nail raceway or slot G", which leads from the nail-chamber into the head of the device, and the raceway or switch G' is a lateral extension of G", arranged at substantially right angles therewith. Thus when the nail is severed and partially driven, as indicated in Fig. 2, as soon as the punch moves upward out of the raceway, as shown in said figure, the n'ailing device may be slipped lengthwise (to the left in Fig. 2, right in Fig. l, and down in Fig. 5) along upon the article being nailed, the raceway G permitting the nailer to move in line with the nailraceway G" until the end of the raceway G engages with the nail and stops the forward motion of the nailer. At the next operation receives the nail, and the end of G' serves as the stop for the nail. When moved lengthwise, as in Fig. 2, the member d of the punch cmpletes the driving of the nail. When the tacker is moved crosswise, as in Fig. 3, the member cl' completes the driving of the nail..

I provide improved means for gaging the distance from the edge of the article being nailed at which the nails shall be driven.

These means consist of automatic gages H H' H", which by the action of gravity drop into operative position when the nailer is. placed in a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 6, but may be retracted and chambered in the nailer by engagement with the face of the article to be nailed when their use Vis not desired. These gages are preferably round pins, which are each provided at the top with a head or an enlargement h and slide in guideways h'. These guideways are each enlarged4 at the upper end to receive the head of its respective pin, so that the pins may` play freely in the guideway and yet fit tightly therein, so as to avoid any side play of the gages when in use. When it is desired to use the gage H, the gages H' H" will engage with the face of the article to be nailed and will be thereby pushed up into the head outv of the way. If it is desired to use the gage H', the gages H H" will be pushed up out of the way, and if it is desired to drive the nails at a distance from the edge greater than the distance of any of the gages from the nail to be driven all the gages may be retracted by laying `t-he head of the nailing device fiat upon the point desired.

In order to provide means whereby the nailing device may be firmly held down upon the article to be nailed as the nails are being driven, l provide a guide I, which is secured to the punch-box and extends upward there-f from. Mounted upon this guide I arrange a hammer or plunger J, and in this plunger I provide a chamber j, within which is chambered a coiled spring J' when the plunger is forced downward to operate the punch. I have shown this guide provided with two members arranged parallel with each other in order to prevent any cramping or binding p of the plunger in its reciprocation.

In practical operation, the parts bein'g assembled as shown in Fig. 1, the plunger is forced downward to strike the head of the punch-stock, thus forcing the punch down- Ward until the roller c"", working in the camslot c', forces the cut-od E into position with the Operating cut-oif tongue e between the IOO IIO

first nail of the strip and the second nail thereof, the Operating-tongue e' entering between the second and third nails. The same movement brings the cutting edge of the punch into engagement with the first nail and severs it from the Web and partially drives it, so that it assumes the position shown at N', Figs. 2 and 3. The spring J', acting against the head of the punch-box as the plunger deseends to deliver its blow to the punch, holds the nailer firmly down upon the work and insures that the point of the nail will be sufficientl)T close to the face of the work 'to eriter such face before the nail is fully severed from the web. This spring also aids in returning the hammer or plunger to its elevated posit-ion, and as soon as the punch is relieved from the hammer the spring K forces the punch-stock upward, thus elevating the punch, and as the punch rises above the nailstrip the shuttle feeds such strip forward against the stop a ready for a second nail to be severed and partially driven. After the first nail is driven the operater gently pushes the nailer constant-ly along the line where the nails are to be driven, and as the device moves alon g the nail which is partially driven is receivcd by'the appropriate raceway, the end of which finally engages with the nail, and thereby stops the movement of the nailer. Then a second blow is delivered upon the punch-stock and a second nail is severed from the strip and partially driven, while the long end of the punch engages the previously partially-driven nail and fully drives it, as at N". The operation just described is repeated until a sufficient number of nails have been driven. After the nail has been severed from the nailstrip the tongue prevents the strip from moving back out of the path of the Shuttle.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In acontinuous-nailing device, the combination set forth of the head of the device: guideways provided in such head: and independent drop-gages working in such guideways and adapted to project from such head, or to be retracted and chambered in the head.

2. In a continuous-nailing device, the combination set forth of the nail-punch: the guide seured to the punch-box: the coiled spring encircling the guide: and the hammer or plunger working upon the guide to strike the nailpunch and provided with the chamber to receive the coiled spring.

3. In a continuous-nailing device, the combination set forth of the nailpunch; the punch-box the guide comprising two parallel members fixed to the punch-box and projecting upwardly therefrom; a coiled spring encircling each member of the guide; and a hammer or plunger working upon the guide to strike the punch.

4:. In a continuousnailing machine, the eombination set forth of the punch-box: the punch-stock arranged to reciprocate in the punch-box: the punch provided with a nail severing and setting shoulder arranged at such adistance above the bottom of the punch as to only partially drive the nail by the time the bottom of the punch engages with the face of the article to be nailed: and the head of the nailing device, provided with a slot to receive the punch and to form a raceway for the partially-driven nail.

5. A continuous-nailing device of the character set forth comprising a head provided with a slot to receive and chamber the head of a partially-driven nail; a punch-stock provided with a cam-slot; a punch secured to the punch-stock and working in the slot of the head and provided on its front edge with a cutting and settin g shoulder arranged at such a distance above the bottom of the punch that a nail severed by such shoulder Will be only partially driven when the bottom of the punch is in engagement with the face of the article to be nailed; a cut-off provided With a tongue to enter between the first nail and the succeedin g nail of a nail-strip; and a pivoted lever for Operating the cut-off, provided at its top with an antifriction-roller working in the cam-slot in the punch-stock.

6. In a nailing device, the punch set forthl comprising two members secured together at substantially right angles with each other with a stop-receiving slot between them, one of the members being provided with a nail severing and setting shoulder at the edge of the slot and above the bottom of the punch.

7. In a nailing device, the eombination of the head of the device provided with the raceway: the stop arranged across the raceway: the switch being a lateral extension of the raceway: and the punch comprising tWo members secured together at substantially right angles with each other to operate in the race- Way and switchand provided with the slot to straddle the stop.

G. W. IIOBBS.

lVitnesses:

ALFRED I. TowNsEND, 'JAMES R. TowNsEND.

IOS 

